Quick response saves Barclay Street residence

A Barclay Street home located within sight of a Port Jervis firehouse was saved thanks to all the right circumstances being in place, including the quick response by nearby firefighters.

Sharon E. Siegel

A Barclay Street home located within sight of a Port Jervis firehouse was saved thanks to all the right circumstances being in place, including the quick response by nearby firefighters.

Volunteer PJFD firefighters happened to be at their East Main Street Tri-State Engine Company No. 6 firehouse at about 6:30 p.m. March 22 as smoke appeared from the backyard of an adjacent Barclay Street home.

Firefighters spotted the smoke, and within seconds they were on hand, quickly extinguishing what could have become a much more extensive blaze.

"They were already on scene as the call was being placed," said Port Jervis Fire Department Chief Jeff Rhoades. "The fire was out before I even made it from my nearby house to the scene. It was a real quick knockdown, and a quick save."

The fire was identified as having originated outside the back exterior of the house. Rhoades said there were black bags of debris located near the back wall of the house, where the fire might have started.

"Black bags conduct heat, and it was a hot day — almost 80 degrees," Rhoades said. "We are not absolutely sure exactly what caused the fire to start, but fortunately the house has asbestos shingles under the siding, and this also helped to block the fire."

No one was home at the time of the blaze, and no injuries were sustained.

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